Australia beat the West Indies by 10 wickets in the third ODI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Tuesday, February 6. Marnus Labuschagne’s acrobatic catch was the highlight of the match, as he dismissed Keacy Carty to give Lance Morris his maiden international wicket.
Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first. Xavier Bartlett struck early, trapping Kjorn Ottley LBW for just 8 runs. Ottley could have survived if he had opted for the DRS, as replays revealed a clear inside edge. The Windies’ woes deepened with Morris’s dismissal of Carty in the 11th over.
A back-of-a-length delivery outside off saw Carty attempt an uppish punch towards backward point, only to be foiled by Labuschagne’s brilliance. The Windies were left reeling at 38/2.
WATCH: Marnus Labuschagne diving catch against WI
Skipper Shai Hope fell leg before to Sean Abbott for a mere four runs, and Morris continued to torment the Windies, claiming his second victim by dismantling Teddy Bishop’s stumps with a full delivery. Bishop’s misjudgment left the Windies struggling at 73/5 after 20 overs, with Roston Chase and Romario Shepherd at the crease.
Chase and Shepherd added 50 runs for the sixth wicket, but their partnership was broken when Chase was caught behind off the bowling of Mitchell Starc for 31. Shepherd was then dismissed by Pat Cummins for 21, and the Windies were bowled out for 164 in 43.1 overs.
Australia chased down the target in just 22.1 overs, with David Warner and Aaron Finch both scoring unbeaten half-centuries. Warner finished on 72, while Finch made 55. Australia won the series 3-0.
Labuschagne’s catch was the highlight of the match. He ran back from mid-off to take a stunning catch to dismiss Carty. The catch was described as “one of the best catches ever taken in an ODI” by former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke.
The win was Australia’s 10th consecutive ODI win, and their 13th win in a row against the West Indies. Australia are now the number one ranked ODI team in the world